January 31, 2008 by sdc

Following our holiday hiatus at the end of 2007, Just Desserts returned in January 2008 with another Native American mystery. Our author was James Doss. Our selected title is Shadow Man, a 2005 entry in his Shaman Mysteries series, featuring Ute tribal investigator Charlie Moon. When a fomer prosecuting attorney is killed by a shot from a long-range rifle while dining late one evening at an exclusive Granite Creek, Colorado, restaurant, it seems obvious that a vengeful criminal is to blame. But orthodontist Manfred Blinkoe was sitting ten feet away and he insists to Chief of Police Scott Parris that he was the intended victim. In fact, he claims that just before the shot was fired, he saw his doppelganger -- an eerie look-alike -- as he has in the past just before other near-death experiences. Terrified that his would-be killer is getting closer and closer, Blinkoe hires Ute tribal investigator Charlie Moon to find this mysterious stalker before he can hit his mark. But before Charlie or Scott -- or the lovely FBI Special Agent Lila McTeague, also working out of Granite Creek -- can get anywhere in their respective investigations, the killer strikes again, and this time he doesn't miss. Charlie, a reluctant private eye who would much rather be working out on his cattle ranch than playing detective, suddenly has a much bigger - and much more dangerous - case to solve.

This title was discussed at the Just Desserts meeting on January 31, 2008. We encourage you to share your own thoughts and opinions about this book in a reply comment to this blog post, below!